Boston College Athletics
Steve Fiske Resigns as Boston College Rowing Head Coach; Grace Hollowell Promoted to Head Coach
August 26, 2019 | Rowing
BC announced Monday that rowing coach Steve Fiske has resigned and the department has named Grace Hollowell at head coach.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond announced Monday that Boston College rowing head coach Steve Fiske has resigned and the department has named Grace Hollowell the program's new rowing head coach.
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"Steve informed me last week that he is getting out of the coaching profession and moving to the private sector," said Jarmond. "We can't thank him enough for his years of dedicated service to our rowing program and the positive impact he made in all of his student-athletes' lives. He has been our only head coach in program history and has done an amazing job leading our program since we converted rowing from a club sport here at BC."
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Fiske joined the BC Eagles in 1999, helping convert the women's team from a club to a nationally recognized Division I program. Within the first five years, Fiske's teams won the prestigious Dad Vail Championship, earned second place in the Big East Conference Championship, and he collected multiple Coach of the Year awards within both New England and the Big East.
A bellwether of the rowing team under Fiske's leadership has been the remarkable academic success of the team. BC rowing has produced 56 National Scholar-Athletes and 56 members of the All-ACC academic team, and two student-athletes have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships. Most recently during Fiske's tenure, three BC rowers earned All-ACC Academic honors, while six were recognized as National Scholar-Athletes in 2019.
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Hollowell, one of the sport's brightest young coaching stars, moves into the full-time head coaching position at Boston College.
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"After visiting with Grace and talking to leaders in the rowing community, we quickly realized her talent and leadership were deserving of this opportunity," said Jarmond. "She has made a terrific impact within our program since her arrival and I know we will continue to even greater heights under her leadership."
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"I want to thank Martin and the BC administration for the opportunity to lead this amazing rowing program," said Hollowell. "Working alongside Steve has been a true pleasure and we wish him well with his next chapter. I just can't wait to get back on the water with our talented student-athletes."
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Hollowell takes over a BC rowing program that saw plenty of milestones achieved under Fiske's watch. Fiske's career highlights at Boston College include:
"I am proud of what we accomplished during my time at BC," said Fiske. "The timing is never right to leave, but an opportunity presented itself that for me and my family was too difficult to say no to. I want to thank all of our student-athletes past and present for all of your contributions to our rowing program. I know it is in great hands under Grace's leadership."
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Hollowell joined the BC rowing staff ahead of the 2018 fall semester after spending the previous four years as the assistant women's coach and recruiting coordinator at Dartmouth.
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During her time in the Ivy League, Hollowell coached 23 scholar-athletes and five all-league performers. Her coaching focus was primarily on training the V4s, 3V8 and N8 teams.
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Prior to Dartmouth, Hollowell had coaching stints at Boston University (2013-14) and Smith College (2011-13). With the Terriers, she was the assistant lightweight coach and coached the N8, 2V, 3V, and IRA LWT V4 boats. While at Smith, she served as the varsity assistant coach and novice coach; working with the 2V8 and 3V8 squads.
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Outside of collegiate athletics, Hollowell has gained coaching experience with the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (2018) as an assistant coach for the U-23 and senior teams. She helped the U-23 M2x and M1x boats qualify for the World Championships in Poland in the summer of 2018, while the M2x and W4x took home gold at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Additionally, she has coached for the Bromfield/Acton-Boxboro Rowing (2010-12) and Saratoga Rowing High Performance Camp (2009-13).
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Hollowell earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Harvard, where she captained the Crimson's lightweight crew team. She earned three varsity letters, was twice named team MVP and was a EAWRC gold medalist. Following her collegiate career, Hollowell completed a Master of Science during her time at Smith College.
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"Steve informed me last week that he is getting out of the coaching profession and moving to the private sector," said Jarmond. "We can't thank him enough for his years of dedicated service to our rowing program and the positive impact he made in all of his student-athletes' lives. He has been our only head coach in program history and has done an amazing job leading our program since we converted rowing from a club sport here at BC."
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Fiske joined the BC Eagles in 1999, helping convert the women's team from a club to a nationally recognized Division I program. Within the first five years, Fiske's teams won the prestigious Dad Vail Championship, earned second place in the Big East Conference Championship, and he collected multiple Coach of the Year awards within both New England and the Big East.
A bellwether of the rowing team under Fiske's leadership has been the remarkable academic success of the team. BC rowing has produced 56 National Scholar-Athletes and 56 members of the All-ACC academic team, and two student-athletes have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships. Most recently during Fiske's tenure, three BC rowers earned All-ACC Academic honors, while six were recognized as National Scholar-Athletes in 2019.
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Hollowell, one of the sport's brightest young coaching stars, moves into the full-time head coaching position at Boston College.
Â
"After visiting with Grace and talking to leaders in the rowing community, we quickly realized her talent and leadership were deserving of this opportunity," said Jarmond. "She has made a terrific impact within our program since her arrival and I know we will continue to even greater heights under her leadership."
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"I want to thank Martin and the BC administration for the opportunity to lead this amazing rowing program," said Hollowell. "Working alongside Steve has been a true pleasure and we wish him well with his next chapter. I just can't wait to get back on the water with our talented student-athletes."
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Hollowell takes over a BC rowing program that saw plenty of milestones achieved under Fiske's watch. Fiske's career highlights at Boston College include:
- Dad Vail Championships: 1st place finishes, multiple team points trophies
- Women's Sprints: Â Team 3rd place finish 2014
- ACC Championship: Team 4th place finish 2009, 2010, 2012
- Coach of the Year (Big East and New England Region)
- 33 Knecht Cup Medals (2005-2019)
- Three European Tours (2004 Henley, England, 2013 (Switzerland/Henley, England), 2017 (Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands)
- 16 Members of the All ACC Conference Team
- 60 National Scholar-Athletes
"I am proud of what we accomplished during my time at BC," said Fiske. "The timing is never right to leave, but an opportunity presented itself that for me and my family was too difficult to say no to. I want to thank all of our student-athletes past and present for all of your contributions to our rowing program. I know it is in great hands under Grace's leadership."
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Hollowell joined the BC rowing staff ahead of the 2018 fall semester after spending the previous four years as the assistant women's coach and recruiting coordinator at Dartmouth.
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During her time in the Ivy League, Hollowell coached 23 scholar-athletes and five all-league performers. Her coaching focus was primarily on training the V4s, 3V8 and N8 teams.
Â
Prior to Dartmouth, Hollowell had coaching stints at Boston University (2013-14) and Smith College (2011-13). With the Terriers, she was the assistant lightweight coach and coached the N8, 2V, 3V, and IRA LWT V4 boats. While at Smith, she served as the varsity assistant coach and novice coach; working with the 2V8 and 3V8 squads.
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Outside of collegiate athletics, Hollowell has gained coaching experience with the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (2018) as an assistant coach for the U-23 and senior teams. She helped the U-23 M2x and M1x boats qualify for the World Championships in Poland in the summer of 2018, while the M2x and W4x took home gold at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Additionally, she has coached for the Bromfield/Acton-Boxboro Rowing (2010-12) and Saratoga Rowing High Performance Camp (2009-13).
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Hollowell earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Harvard, where she captained the Crimson's lightweight crew team. She earned three varsity letters, was twice named team MVP and was a EAWRC gold medalist. Following her collegiate career, Hollowell completed a Master of Science during her time at Smith College.
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